Portable search-light.



No. 864,957. PATENTED SEPT. 3, 1907.

Il. DIGKENS.

PORTABLE SEARCH LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.B. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l-` mmf PATLNTLD smits, 1907.

.L DIGKLNS.

PORTABLE SEARCH LIGHT.

APPLIUATION FILED oom. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

omitting the batteries.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEreE.

JOHN DIGKENS, OF PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS,

TO THE STANDARD SHEET METAL COMPANY.

PORTABLE SEARCH-LIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.`

Patented Sept. 3, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that`=I\, JOHN DrcKENs, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Passaic, Passaic county, New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements n Portable Search- Lights,of which the following is a specification, illustratod by theaccompanying drawings.

` This invention applies in particular to that class of portable searchlights which may be carried about in the pocket or hand, and areprovided with small electric lights which may be flashed when desired.

The object of this invention is to devise a simple, cheap and efficientlight which will be more eflicient than the flash lights now on themarket. l

In this device, the barrel or tube containing the cells and light ismade of a seamless metal tube which is stronger than the paste -boardcartons now in use; the cells are each positively insulated from thebarrel containing them, the reflector is made integral with the covercarrying the lamp, and 'the lens is carried in a separate removable cap,besides which, by means of an adjustable Contact piece, the light may beused as an intermittent Hash, a continuousS light, or the button movedso as to prevent the light being flashed at all.

By the above enumerated other improvements, many defects in the presentmode of construction are obviated anda more useful and serviceable lightis produced.

In the drawings: Figure l is an outside longitudinal View of the device.Fig. 2 is a cross section on the plane 2 2 of Fig. l, one of tlie cellsbeing shown with the insulator in full. Fig. 3 is a verticalcross-'section on the plane 3 3 of Fig. l, showing the contact buttonmaking permanent Contact with the unin'sulated part of one of thebatteries. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on the plane 4 4 of Fig.l, showing the Contact button permanently out of Contact with the cell.Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section on the plane 5 5 of Fig. l, Fig. 6 isa section on the plane 6 6 of Fig. 3. Fig.Y 7 is a view of a portion ofthe barrel tube showingithe slot in which the spring moves.

l Fig 8 is an end view of the light, partly broken away.

Fig. 9 is l:'i'detail of an alternative form.

In the preferred formlof this device, the barrel or tube of the deviceis made of a seamless tube iz of alu.

. minium or other suitable metal, one end o f which is open, this endbeing provided `with a screw thread Vb,

the opposite-end ofthe tube or barrel is closed except.

for the small circularopening c, whichl is used for the purpose ofinserting a rod in case the battery cells canl not be readily ejectedfrom the barrel. `In the closed end or'bottom of the barrel is thehelical spring d, one

. end of which'rnay be readily fastened inthe bottom of thebarrel. .Thepurpose of this spring is to keep the l in the band e to freely move thearm cells always' tight pressed one to the other, and make Contact withthe lamp as shown in Fig. 2.- Surrounding the barrel a is the contactband e. This band is constructed in such a manner as to fit tightlyabout the barrel when it is slipped into position, the band beingprovided with the projections f forming a double row ofrivet-like pointssurrounding the band.

When the band is in position upon the barrel, a straight mandrel isinserted within the tube and the metal of the barrel forced outward andinto the projections f, and in this manner preventing any slipping ofthe band when once in place on the barrel.

The band e is provided with the spring arm g which is hinged atene endas at y, `enough of the metal of the barrel being cut away to allow ofthe play of the spring arm as far as it may be pressed inwards.A Thisarm y; carries the 'contact button h riveted in the usualmanner to thearm, the button h being provided with the projection t', seen in Figs. 3and 4. This arm g is not iixedly`hin'ged at g but it is allowed acertain amount of freedom, limited by the movement of the button hin'the slot k, and is held in place between the barrel a and the band e.It would thus be possible if the slot j in the barrel a correspondedwith the slot c g around a portion of the surface of the barrel and atthe same time, I by means of the button h, depress the end of the bandat will. But this latter is not possible owing to the fact'that the slotc is irregular, one end being contracted as at c, which, when the buttonh is in the position shown in Fig. 4, it is impossible to depress thearm, owing to the fact that the projection i prevents the button beingthus depressed.

As will'be seen fioma study of Fig. 3, which shows the button h in sucha positionas to give a permanent llighting effect, the button h and thespring arm y/ are both shown making contact with the battery'l, thisresult can be obtained whenever the button h is pressed down when thebutton is over the wide portion of the slot k, in which case there is nointerference between the projection i and the sides of the slot, and thespring arm is then pressed towards the right (Fig. 3)

` whenthe projection i will pass below the edges of the portion s/ ofthe slot k and the button h and spring arm g will remain in the positionshown in Fig. 3, until the button is pressed'to the left and released..

If it is desired to prevent any waste of current from the batteries andkeep the light in an inoperative position, the button is pushed towardsthe right without engaging with the edge of the slot c (as shown in Fig.4)4 and by reason of the projection i, engaging with the rim of the slotc neither the button h nor thespring arm q can make contact with thecells Z.

It will thus be seen that three adjustments of the lamp may be obtained,full and intermittent contact by depressing the button hat will withinthe slot k; ull and uninterrupted Contact by depressing the button andthrowing it over when in a depressed position, as seen in Fig. 3, or bythrowing the button over entirely undepressed, preventing any contactwith the cells whatever. (Fig. 4). Y

By making a double Contact of the button and the arm with the cell,greater eihciency is attained, as a better connection is thus had.

The barrel or tube a as shown in Fig, 2 is adapted to receive two ormore dry battery Cells, as l, lf, 1; these are of the form and styleusually used for this purpose and are insulated with a thickness ofrubber as shown, the insulation on the cell l, it is to be noticed,extends over the end of the cell, thus preventing it from making contactwith the spring d. The insulation n the cell l extends nearly but notquite to the iront end of the cell, to allow the arm g and the buttonh\to make contact with the cell. When the three cells are placed inposition as. shown, the cover m., which isalso made of aluminium and isprovided with screw threadto enable it to coperate with the thread b, isscrewed upon the end oi the barrel. The top of this cover m is madeconcave, as shown in Fig. 2, so as-to form a reflector for the lamp n.This lamp is of the type ordinarily used for this purpose, and fitswithin and is held in piace by means of a short screw thread which`,corresponds with the thread on the base of the lamp, the terminals oithe lamp making Contact with the shell of the tube or barrel by means oithe cover m. The cell l is provided with a suitable projection to-enableit to make a good Contact with the light. Surrounding the cover m is thecap 0, this cap is also made of metal and can be readily removed from orplaced upon the Icoverfm.. This cap f f f 864,957

separate piece of metal trom the barrel or tube as in the i preferredform; in Fig. 9fthe band e/is made integral with the barrel a, byenlarging the barrel, in any convenient manner, at this point,suiciently to allow the ywithin saidbarrcl or consists ol a plaincylinder whose inner diameter corof course to be understood that thedepth of the reiiector m constituting a slidable and adjustabletelescope joint Y will bear a certain relation to the lens, in orderthat the rays from the lamp n may be properly ocused by the lens p. Bythus attaching the lens within the cap, it is believed a distinctimprovement is had over the lens being attached by means of a spring orotherwise.

When the cells are placed within the barrel a and the cover m screweddown, by depressing the button h within the slot k, the, button-h andthe spring arin o will cach make contact with the uninsulated part ofthebattery Z and the circuit will be completed through the batteries tothe two contact points and by them to the I tion of the band. Instead ofmaking the band of a spring arm to slide free from Contact with thebattery cells.

When the cellsl are worn out, the cover is unscrewed, and the barrel ortube stood upright on its open end, when the cells can be readilyejected by introducing a rod through the hole c and thus ejecting thecells. i

Vithout enumerating the many modications o which this invention iscapable, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent are the followingnew, novel andcharacteristic eatures of this invention.

l. ln a portable l'lash light', the combination of a tube, an electricbattery therein, said tube, and means for making and breaking contactbean electric lamp secured in tween the terminals of said lamp and saidbattery; said means including a spring arm adapted to assume threepositions, beine, permitted in one position to b e moved to make andbreak contact, in another position being locked in Contact relation, andin a third position being`locked out of contact relation, substantiallyas described.

2. A portable flash light consisting of a bzirrel or tube, a pluralityof battery cells' adapted-to .fit within the said barrel or tube, aremovable cover incllo'sing' one end of said barrel, an electric lamp insaid cover, a cylindrical cap adjustably and slidably mounted on' saidcoverl and making a telescope joint therewith, cap, means for reflectingthe light from said lamp upon said lens, means for connectingY said lampwith said cover, and means for making and breaking Contact between saidcells and said cover, scribed.

3. in a portable flashlight the combination of a seamless metallicbarrel or tube having' one end open and the other closed, dry electricbattery cells adapted to be contained tube, a metallic screwV threadedcover' adapted tot over the said open end and coilperating with a screwthread upon said barrel, said cover being provided with a reflectorintegral therewith, an electric lamp secured in the center' ci saidreflector, means for connecting said cover with the terminals of saidlamp, means for connecting said cells with the said lamp, means formaking and breaking contact between the said cells and the said barrelor tube, means for adjustably focusing the light rays from the saidlamp, said means consisting of a cylindrical metallic cap movable withrelation to said cover. adapted to inclose said cover, and a lensfitting within said cap, substantially as described and set forth.

a lens carried by said substantially as set forth and dep ,4. In aportable flash light and in combination with a barrel or tube, aplurality of dry electric battery cells, a

said cells and said tube. together with a reflector siii'- rounding saidlamp and means for focusing the-rays from said lamp, of a metallic bandsurroundingY said tube 'and secured thereto, of a rectangular slotwithin the surface of said tube, of a slot within said band above thefirst named slot, the. width of a portion of said second slotcorrespondine; with that of the first said slot, the other portion ofthe second said slot being contracted in width, a metallic springy arm,onev end of which lies between the said band and the outer surface ofsaidiube, the other end being free to more up and down within the firstsaid slot, a metallic button on said spring' arm, said button and saidlever' arm being adapted to make contact at a plurality of points posesset forth.

Signed this sixth day of October, 1904, at Passie, N. JA

JOHN DicKnNs.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK B. WILSON, .TonN J. WOODRUFF.

